Crossing the border alone

February 26, 2014 |Photos by Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle

Anzaldulas Park in Mission is on the frontline of what federal officials have dubbed "the surge," a steep increase in the numbers of children caught crossing the border illegally and alone. Arrests have spiked from 8,000 in 2008 to more than 38,000 last year.

Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle

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A 4-year-old boy and his 17-year-old uncle from Honduras approach Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Constable Lazaro Gallardo, Jr., in Anzaldulas Park after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico.